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sues-FASTENERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 197,169, dated November 13, 1877; application filed April 16, 1877.

useful Improvements in Shoe-Fasteners; and

I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying draw-' ings, which form part of this specification.

My inventionrelates to certain improvements, in shoe-fastening devices, and is designed to furnish amode of fastening shoes which will obviate the necessity of making button-holes, and thusmaterially lessen the expense of manufacture. My improvement does away with buttons, laces, buckles, and straps, and provides a metallic clasp, which is secured at one extremity to the overlapping piece, while its opposite and free extremity detachably engages With a metallic catch-piece on theside of the shoe. My result is twofold-first, in that economy follows from not having to form eyelet or button holes at all, and at the same time dispensing with the amount of stock otherwise required in shoe-manufacture, since the overlapping flap or button piece may be made much narrower than is the case with the pres- A second consideration of merit consists in I reducing the strain put upon the shoe in fastenin g and unfastening. The ordinary buttonhook, so necessary in case of a button engagement, twists the leather and draws it with a side curve or wrench, so that the line of direction of applied force is angular tothat which obtains when, the shoe is buttoned and actually in use. p The improvement not only allows, but requires, that the force required to fasten and unfasten the shoe be applied in a line of direction parallel with the fastening device when in operation. Thus the strain is put upon the shoe in such a manner as to be best resisted by it, and without injury to or tendency to tear the leather.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a shoe provided with my invention as ened. Fig. 3 shows the two parts of the clasp in detail and detached from the shoe.

This fastening device consists of two parts, A and B, both made of metal, (brass preferably,) and uniting in a scarf-joint, which readily admits of their engagement and disengagement.

The fastener Ais provided with enlarged or headed end extremities, one of which has the three little flanged hooks a, suitable to be connected with the usual overlapping piece of a shoe, sometimes called the button-piece, and, passing through its side body, are clamped or clinched upon the inner face of it. While I preevident that there may be but one of them, and that placed centrally of its enlarged connecting-piece, or there may be more than two of them; but those shown in the drawings as formed in the same piece with the fastener are well adapted to the purpose inview. The free extremity has the engaging head a, consisting of two projections on either longitudinal side of the main body of the fastener, so as to give a double endbearing, which will have the said main body as a central or intervening partition-piece. These lateral projecting tongues fit into corresponding eyes or end-recesses b, formed in the catch B, and by drawing the fastenerA out in a straight line it can be at once engaged or disengaged from its catch B. This latter is preferably made with two little holes in its base-piece, by which it is secured by thread to the side of the shoe, the thread passing through the leather; but this is only one means of securement, as I may stamp out these'catch-pi'eces with flanged hooks similar to those of fastener A, or any other means may be used in substitution for those shown.

This fastening device does away with all necessity for buttons, laces, strap, and buckles, and substitutes a simple metallic clasp, which, in addition to its advantages consequent upon the rigidity of its parts, both render the first cost of the shoe much less, and also preserves the latter from undue strain in fastening and unfastening. It is apparent that this fastener in an enlarged form maybe used in the place of buckles unfastened. Fig. 2 represents the same fast-' fer two of these little hooks, as shown, it is L. PEIRCE. Roofing.

No. 197,170. Patented Nov. 13, 1877.

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